The Calm After the Storm
by whiterose2406
Summary: The storm of our hearts... The rain of our tears... My beautiful angel, take my hand and make me a promise. That one day, we'll both be calm after the storm. Sheelos


**A/N: Heyo everybody. (waves) I'm back with another lovely oneshot. It would've been lovelier had it actually been submitted on Valentine's Day... -.- Once again, my brain hates me. Anywho, a late valentine's gift for my fellow sheelos fans, but a gift none the less. :) And a gift to myself as well. I've already been told my writing's improved a lot with this one. I feel happy. n.n So uh, here's to love. :)**

**_The Calm After the Storm_**

One month after the journey of regeneration...

The morning was passing as usual in Meltokio. It was about seven o'clock and the sun was nearly midway on the horizon, rising further into the sky with each second. Bright and yellow, the star lit up the gray and gloomy atmosphere, splashing it to life in a mixture of pastel shaded colors. Yellows, blues, greens, grays and white all blended together like the setting of a painting.

Pockets of light poked through overcast clouds, and the scent of rain and dew filled the air. Evidence of the past night's storm that left the land wet and cool.

Businesses in all parts of the capital city, from the dirt passages and back alleys of the slums, to the cobblestone and marbled laced roadways of Upper Meltokio, were beginning to open their doors. A sign that the usual humdrum hustle and bustle of city life was about to begin.

A sleep deprived Zelos Wilder lay awake and unmoving underneath the warmth of his canopy bed, propped up against a bundle of pillows. His bare form was covered slightly by vibrant, silky red sheets and a luxurious tiger print down comforter.

Irritation plastered the redhead's face as he sat up, listening to the various sounds of his butler and friend Sebastian cleaning the Wilder mansion as he did every day. The ex-Chosen sighed heavily and covered his ears.

"I'll have to remind Sabs not to start his routine at the crack of dawn... Honestly, who works this early anyway?" He spoke as the noise of the vacuum moving across the floors drowned out his words.

Finally giving up on trying to fall back to sleep, the swordsman got up and stretched, then reached for a pair of pants thrown over his armchair. Covering himself, he opened the curtains hiding his window and looked out at the city.

The harsh morning light temporarily blinded his eyes, so he turned away, allowing them to adjust. When it was safe to look out, the redhead did so. Scanning everything within range of sight, a smile tugged at his lips, but was replaced rather quickly by a growing frown.

This was an addictive routine that Zelos had adopted from an early age. Whether in the morning or the middle of the night, looking out the window for long periods of time... losing himself in thought and putting up that wall and keeping others out was one thing that Zelos did when he was depressed... And every time he did this, that little voice in his head would take over, continuing to tell him just how pathetic he really was...

Today was no different than any other day. The joys of a beautiful new world were not enough to bring the swordsman any sense of happiness. And once more, Zelos' mind stirred...

Thoughts of his role in the whole journey to stop cruxis and save the world...

Thoughts of Lloyd and his other friends whom he hadn't seen much of in the past month...

Thoughts of his favorite person. A beautiful raven-haired ninja from the village of Mizuho...

And finally, the swordsman's never-ending wave of self loathing...

It all collided into a mixture of emotions and feelings. In Zelos' mind, everyone was out for his blood... to make him hurt... to make him think that he would only hurt others by being alive...

There was his mother and father. He had hurt them by existing... For being born, ruining their lives, and in his mind, causing their deaths.

The royal family: who viewed him as a threat, and wanted his undeniable power and authority for themselves.

The Church of Martel that instead of accepting Zelos Wilder as their chosen savior of the world judged him and shunned him for the person they saw him to be. An arrogant, philandering womanizer.

The church condoned his behavior towards the fairer half of the human race. And though he was allowed entrance into the sacred building, very few of the clergy acknowledged him.

They condoned his family connection to Tethe'alla's last Chosen of Mana... the young swordsman's own deceased father. A man much like his own son when it came to the dealings of the opposite sex. Though according to rumors, Zelos' father was much, much worse...

And finally, he had hurt the only people that had ever cared for him. The people he had traveled around with until just a month ago, and had begun to think of as actual friends during his year of travel with them.

Through an event that would forever scar the trust that his friends held in the redheaded swordsman, Zelos had betrayed them during the end of that year. He stood in front of them and acted as if he cared nothing for them just so he could retrieve Aionis, a special rock mined only in the heart of Vinheim, atop Derris-Kharlan. This rock would later be used to save the world from destruction...

Betraying them before he was entrusted with this important task, before he found himself becoming attached to them, was something that Zelos didn't mind at first.

He didn't care about them when they first met in Meltokio. And he didn't give a damn what happened to them. Well... most of them... Of course, this feeling wouldn't last.

Still, he was to play his part for Cruxis and keep tabs on them all. Sheena had failed to assassinate Colette Brunel, the Chosen of Sylvarant. It was now up to Zelos to deliver the girl to the Tower of Salvation where she would be sacrificed to Cruxis. Something that was of course kept secret from the others.

And what an opportunity this was! If Zelos fulfilled this request made by the leader of Cruxis, he would finally be free of the one thing that made his life a joke. His title of Chosen of Mana. A curse that started in his family long ago. A curse on his life that he wanted to get rid of... and the plan to do so was perfect.

He would willingly fight his friends inside of the Tower of Salvation, hoping to die by their hands. At long last his life would be over, and his curse would end. His weakened half sister Seles would be able to leave the South East Abby and replace him as Chosen, just as her half-elven mother had wanted. And he would die a Chosen's death... going down a hero in the eyes of the people of Tethe'alla.

Oh, such a joy it would be...

To be born just to die was what citizens of Tethe'alla expected of the Chosen anyway. To them, Zelos Wilder the person didn't exist. Zelos Wilder the Chosen was the object of their interests. He was to save their world one day by sacrificing his life for the good of all human and elven kind. A journey that meant giving up his body and soul to the "goddess" Martel.

He was prepared for this quest already when he received his Cruxis Crystal and his "angel" wings at the age of eighteen, and certain angelic abilities soon after. A 'gift' bestowed upon him by Kratos and Yuan of Cruxis, through an extremely painful process that all Chosens endured with a time table of roughly three weeks to one month.

Despite these new found powers, Zelos did everything he could to run from his duties as Chosen of his world.

He did not start on his own regeneration journey at all. Instead he found a minute comfort in the attention that the women of Tethe'alla showered upon him, through their fake admiration of who they thought he was. His true character was something that these ignorant people would never get to know.

This was something that the swordsman reserved for his only real friend. A lonely little girl he met long ago as a child... The only person he ever grew attached to. Over the years, this attraction deepened not only physically but emotionally. Even if this person hadn't a clue how much she meant to the redhead.

This person was Sheena Fujibayashi.

A small, shy girl growing up, Sheena and Zelos shared a strong bond, a common ground if you will, on many issues and feelings. Both had lost their parents when they were young. Neither had anyone their own age that they could truly call a friend. Both felt the pain and rejection of the others around them when they didn't live up to certain expectations of their places of birth... And for a while, both had been forbidden from seeing one another and were helpless to do anything about it.

Eventually Sheena's summoner training had called the young ninja back to the capital city. After a long three-year absence, Zelos' fifteen year old best friend had grown into a beautiful and voluptuous eighteen year old young woman.

On that day the flamboyant twenty one year old Zelos Wilder looked in awe at his friend. It was like seeing an angel... He felt something in his heart he'd only felt upon meeting Sheena for the first time as kids. Only this feeling was much deeper... It was such a strong feeling that the young Chosen couldn't quite explain.

This was something powerful and electrifying that hit every inch of his body. From deep in his heart, straight into the core of what made him a man.

This feeling of seeing his best friend for the first time in ages looking so gorgeous yet so unsure of herself as she headed for the Meltokio Research Institute, a small fox like creature perched atop her shoulder, overwhelmed Zelos with untapped and silent emotions he'd never experienced.

Maybe in some innocent form as a child, when he and the younger girl would play together, but seeing her like this... it was so new. Zelos felt as alive as he'd ever felt before. Everything else he had ever done with anyone else before this one moment of happiness meant nothing to him.

Was this what everyone referred to as love? Or was he merely feeling lustful? After all, the kunoichi was a knockout. Whether or not Sheena herself knew this remained to be seen...

Of course, his habits and tendencies got the better of him each time he tried to communicate with the summoner...

Sheena had gotten to know Zelos during her visits to Meltokio and as they both grew up, she had heard all the rumors about him. He had become the biggest womanizer in all of Tethe'alla. At least, that's what was said about him. He certainly acted the part well.

Despite that, the ninja would never hate him... That just wasn't possible.

She held on to the memories of their friendship as young kids, hoping and praying that he would change back into that person she had come to love as a kid. She knew he was never a happy person, but he had an amazing heart and was always kind and friendly to her. Not that he wasn't still like this towards her as an adult. It's just that these good qualities were sometimes met with a seductive flare.

This often led to physical pain inflicted upon the redhead by her godlike backhand slap to his face, followed by a load of comments. Then he would add his usual grin and bear her aggressiveness towards him. With his two cents added, of course, just to get a rise out of her. She once thought that this actually turned him on, but it had become such second nature to them both,that the routine was hard to break away from.

It was this very side to him that made the ninja happy. It was a side that would smile at her when all she did was look at him... Or would make her laugh, sometimes without any lewd remarks. It was a side of him that would lightly brush against her, or run a finger along her cheek, down her arms... Or loosely grip her in a sometimes not so friendly embrace...

It was this side of Zelos Wilder that sent a shock wave of arousal through her body, even though she would blush immensely and lash out at him most of the time.

This feeling was something that only Zelos gave her. And she knew this truth even more when they took a more serious approach to their awkward friendship, merely by standing next to one another or talking under the stars...

It was moments like these that Sheena often thought of. She remembered the first time he'd shown her that his old self wasn't entirely gone...

-------------------------

The very first day of Sheena's stay in Meltokio. Zelos had waited outside the Meltokio Research Institute until his favorite hunny was finished with her business. When she came outside tired and frustrated, he approached her and asked her to go to dinner with him.

The ninja was surprised by his sudden appearance before her after being away from the capital city for three years. She had to look him over, noting how he had gotten taller and looked more toned than ever. He smiled and they hugged upon seeing each other. Letting go of him, she stepped back to study his face, only to meet his beautiful sapphire eyes and his gorgeous smile.

When he asked her to dinner again she nodded, causing the Chosen to beam with happiness. Excited and anxious, he led her by the hand to his favorite restaurant, which also happened to be the finest dining establishment in all of Tethe'alla.

As they approached the restaurant, Sheena became fully aware of the differences in her too-casual-for-such-an-expensive-place-outfit and the fancy attire of the rest of the patrons roaming the building. Zelos looked at her and shook his head.

"You're fine, hunny. Don't worry about anything, okay?" He said with a small laugh as he looked at his own usual pink, black and white outfit, gesturing for her to do so. She smiled, assured that she would be safe. He then offered his arm for her to take.

_'Wow... Zelos can be so kind sometimes...'_ Sheena thought, taking his arm with a blush.

He led her inside where they followed the hostess to the back of the building and onto the outdoor deck. Finding a suitable table, the hostess left them and Zelos pulled out Sheena's chair for her to sit on. After she sat and got comfortable, he pushed her chair under the table slightly, and seated himself. He then threw her a quick smile before spotting a waiter nearby and snapping his fingers to get the man's attention.

"Yo, Ludwig! The bottle of your best wine, man!" Zelos shouted to the employee he obviously knew by name.

The older waiter, dressed in a red vest on top of a white long sleeved dress shirt, black pants and shoes-typical for employees of this establishment-promptly approached their table. Not one to be unprepared in front of the Chosen, the man placed two menus and two glasses of water down onto the table and nodded, hastily walking away to retrieve the requested item.

"Wine?" Sheena asked with a puzzled expression. Zelos stared his date down with a sly grin. Though she wore her usual Mizuhoan garb, this was enough to turn Zelos on. She was leaning over the table slightly to read the menu and his eyes fixated right on her chest. Right where they shouldn't have been staring. He felt himself tighten and breathed to calm his lustful desires for the moment.

Snapping out of his slight trance, the swordsman relaxed and placed his arms on the table, folding them over one another. Both looked over their menus for a while before deciding what they wanted. Zelos finally answered Sheena's question.

"Yep. Only the best for my favorite hunny," he said as his eyes fixated once more upon her luscious bosom. He quickly moved his eyes to the kunoichi's face a few seconds later, just in case she was looking.

"Since when was I your 'hunny', Zelos? And for that matter, why did you order wine in the first place? You know I don't drink. It's against my village's customs for women to drink." Sheena responded back, taking note of his sudden eye shift and narrowing her own. _'He can be such a cad.'_

The waiter came back with the wine and the two ordered their food. Zelos handed the waiter a generous tip, whispering the instruction that he not come back to their table after they got their meals. With a curt nod, the waiter turned to take care of the order, grinning from ear to ear on the inside at this gracious tip.

Zelos turned his attention back to his date and took her wine glass, poured more than enough for a person who had never once drunk a single drop of alcohol in her life, and placed it near her.

"You've always been my favorite hunny, Sheena. You actually treat me like a friend...," He said with an honest tone, pouring his share of the drink and setting the bottle back into the bucket of ice where it once sat. "And as for the wine, I happen to like it. I was just hoping you'd at least try it yourself."

Sheena raised an eye brow, looking at her glass and back at him. "You call this glass trying it? I think that's called you trying to get me drunk! Don't think I don't know you. I don't care if I have been gone for three years. I've still heard the rumors..."

Zelos' eyes widened for a moment in surprise but he relaxed and smirked, pretending to stab himself in the chest. "You wound me Sheena." He took a sip of the cold wine in his glass and swallowed, enjoying the excellent flavor and chill it left as it ran smoothly down his throat.

He glanced at the bottle. Heimdall blend: Circa 1068. A good year that must have been for grapes. No wonder this was the most expensive wine in all of Tethe'alla. The price of thirty thousand gald alone meant that it was only for the most royal of individuals. No normal person in their right mind would blow that kind of money on something stupid like a bottle of booze. But since when was Zelos normal? He certainly wasn't born that way. And now, even Sheena was believing the gossip floating around about him.

Looking into Sheena's eyes once again, Zelos continued to be slightly depressed, but maintained his 'happy' and calm demeanor. "It's called civilization, Sheena. You're a big girl now. And you're not in Mizuho. So frankly, I could care less about your customs. I think you can have a little to drink if you wanted to. There's nobody that's going to stop you."

Sheena glared a little at him but brushed away his comments. She looked at her glass again and the light yellowish green liquid inside, her eyes staring at the bubbles fizzing to the top. "I'm not even the legal age for this stuff. I know you won't get into trouble, but I will."

Zelos shook his head and smirked. "If anybody does bother you, I'll have them arrested for harassment." He sat up straight in his chair, seeming to glow with confidence if not a little pride. There were a few perks to being the Chosen, even if he didn't want to admit it. And if there was one thing the redhead cherished more than these perks, it was his friendship to Sheena. He would defend her honor every time. Sheena took note of this and laughed a bit.

He looked at her and blinked with confusion. "What?"

Sheena smiled a little and cast her eyes to the white linen covering the small table. A blush had formed on her cheeks. "...Nothing," She said, just as their food was brought out on serving dishes and placed on the table in front of them.

Giving the two person staff a tip, they happily left the couple to eat in peace.

The two warriors poked at their food for a moment, not really knowing what to say. Normally chatting it up with a woman was no problem for Zelos. He'd done it plenty of times. Get wine, get food, get drunk, leave the restaurant, and eventually...

He shook those thoughts from his head. This was Sheena Fujibayashi, after all. And she was completely different from the rest of the whore brigade in Meltokio. He didn't know what to do, or what to say.

A first for Tethe'alla's Chosen of Mana.

Sheena was his friend, but he wondered... Would she be the same as the others with a little persuasion? He knew she wasn't like anyone he'd ever met, way back when they were kids. But he wondered what age did to Sheena. Was she still the same person? Now that he was out on a date with her, would she give in to him like all the others had?

Sheena saw Zelos brooding while he slowly sipped his wine.

_'Wait. Zelos? Brooding? Zelos doesn't do that.'_ She thought, making another mental note of this awkward behavior her friend was displaying.

Clearing her throat, she caught his attention and he looked back at her from wherever his eyes were staring. Which, thankfully for Sheena, happened to be the table and not her. "Are you alright, Zelos?" The ninja asked with concern.

Zelos smiled at her and started on his meal. "Fine," He said after piling down several bites of his fish and wiping his mouth clean of any residue with the cloth napkin resting in his lap, putting it back a moment later.

Sheena pulled her chicken breast apart with her fork and started to eat, staring at Zelos. He was so different now... So handsome... And he was the Chosen of Tethe'alla, no less. A date with Zelos was something that all the girls in the world would kill each other for. And yet here he was, with her. He could be with anyone else and he chose her. Sheena smiled at him and reached over for her glass of the other drink that wasn't water.

Zelos' eyes moved when he noticed this and he looked on as she took a fairly good gulp of the liquid. She then set the glass down and ate another bite or two of her meal.

In a matter of seconds her eyes widened and she began coughing and choking! Zelos gasped, released his utensils, and flew out of his chair to come to her aid. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist gave her the Heimlich maneuver.

Sheena soon got rid of the beverage and the food, which happened to land right on the table in front of her. Onlookers and staff expressed their repulsion at the situation and some customers began to get up, hoping to leave. Sheena eyed them while trying to catch her breath, staring at their ill expressions towards her.

Hurt and embarrassed, the flustered kunoichi quickly released herself from Zelos' grip and walked hastily from the restaurant with tears welling up in her eyes and back to the inn.

About ten minutes later, under a warm summery night sky, hazy with the fog of the recent rainfall, Zelos had joined Sheena at her room inside of the Sancta Cassius, trying his best to console his friend.

He told her she should've sipped the wine slowly, like he had done. And that he tasted her food himself, noting that the chicken was dry. He was mad that the staff made a fuss when he complained about their meals. Which of course they were angry about, but the problem did not escalate any further for fear of punishment.

Sheena sat up on her bed with Zelos right beside her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. She leaned against Zelos' chest, and he looked down at her with a smile. Weeping slightly, her body shook some and her fists tightened.

"Even these people don't accept me..." She said with a shaky voice. Zelos rubbed her back gently, running his fingers across her spine and into her luxurious black hair.

"Don't worry about them, hunny. They'll never understand you. They're too ignorant to care." He brushed away a tear that had escaped her eyes, smiling gently at her. He then brought his free hand up to Sheena's chin. Touching it delicately, he gently lifted up her face. Cupping her cheek, he turned her face to him and met her eyes.

"You aren't alone, y'know. Do you think they accept me? Hell no. I'm just the Chosen to them. Nothing more, nothing less. So I know what you're feeling..."

The swordsman leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "Even if the people in this town or this entire world don't accept you Sheena, you know I will. That's a promise."

A small blush crept upon Zelos' face and Sheena smiled at him, which caused him to smile back.

For a minute or so, neither Zelos nor Sheena could look away from one another.

And that's when desire had captured them both... if only for a moment.

Zelos caught Sheena in a hug, resting his head on the top of hers... taking in the scent of her hair. It was faintly fragranced with lavender, even though it was rather sweaty. But this didn't matter to him... He loved Sheena just the way she was. And because of this, he smiled and shut his eyes, totally at ease in her presence.

Sheena sat wide-eyed for a while before tentatively returning the embrace. She snuggled close to her long time friend, feeling the rise and fall of his chest, his hands wrapped peacefully around her body.

He was so relaxed... she could tell. She smiled, leaning against him, taking in the scent of his hair... Citrus. It made her emit a small chuckle and she sighed, feeling very content in his arms...

He loosened his grip around her for a moment and the two locked eyes. Drawing himself closer, both of their faces turned bright red... And that's when they met each other's lips, in what would be Sheena's first kiss.

At first their kiss was casual... experimental even... But Zelos' desire for his kunoichi grew and he deepened their kiss, much to Sheena's surprise. He parted his lips, and touched the tip of her lips with his tongue.

Sheena, who was not really knowledgeable with this particular form of kissing -or any kissing for that matter- didn't know what Zelos was implying. He hesitantly broke the kiss, and looked at her.

"I... I did something wrong... didn't I?" Sheena asked, blushing and looking down at the sheets on the bed.

The redhead laughed and brushed a piece of lose hair behind her ear.

"Nah. Don't worry about it," He said, calming himself. He caressed her cheek again. "You're innocent."

Sheena moved her head slightly to one side, bewildered by that last remark.

"What do you mean by that?"

Zelos smiled at her and stood up.

"You're not like them..." His face grew serious, but still held that special look he only gave to Sheena. "And I..." The redhead bit his lip, trying hard to spit the words out. He sighed, failing to tell her what he wanted to really say... He quickly thought of something else and swallowed a lump in his throat. "Just... don't ever change. You promise?" He said, mentally kicking himself for being a coward once again.

"Y...yeah... I promise..."

Zelos headed towards the door of her room and opened it. Sheena got up.

"You're leaving?"

Zelos smiled sadly, casting his eyes to the ground.

"...I'll uh... I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Zelos..." She said, reaching an arm towards him, but recoiling when he didn't turn to face her.

"Good night, hunny," Zelos said, lightly shutting the door behind him.

Sheena listened to his footsteps out in the hall as Zelos made his way towards the stairs and out the door. She then turned her attention towards the window and watched as he came into view, starting the trip back to his home. He stopped once and almost turned back around but sighed instead and continued on, bathed in the glow of the evening moonlight.

The ninja blushed again, touching her lips with her fingers and smiling. "I... I..." She stuttered, blushing even redder than before. But as soon as she thought of her home of Mizuho... and its strict customs against foreign relationships, her face saddened and she found herself unable to finish her sentence.

Finally watching as the redhead disappeared, the ninja walked over to the bed. It was still warm from where he had just sat...

Sheena took off her boots and a few articles of clothing before lying down and pulling the covers over her body.

Her first date with the philanderer was not at all like she expected. He was so kind and caring to her. Not the Zelos that everyone had led her to believe he was.

She smiled, though a bit disheartened... Even if she felt something for Zelos, Mizuho would never allow it.

The ninja closed her eyes and had one last thought before falling asleep.

_'Maybe one day...'_

--------------------------------

The former Chosen finally backed away from the window, finished with his flashback... He closed his eyes and a huge smile overtook his face. He could remember that date like it had happened yesterday. It was truly one of the best moments of his entire life.

He couldn't escape the thoughts of his raven-haired ninja, and it was driving him crazy not having seen her much in the past month. She was his reason for living, and for once in his life Zelos finally felt so glad to be alive... So glad in fact, that his depression vanished instantly.

It was then that his mind was made up. After all that had happened over the course of their travels and the events that would test each other's trust, he would not let his favorite hunny slip from his grasp like that ever again.

Taking hardly any time to get decent, Zelos wrote a note for Sebastian telling him that he'd probably be gone for a couple of days or so.

Slipping on a clean headband, he brushed his teeth, making sure his hair was combed out nice and smooth. The ex-chosen grabbed his wing pack from a drawer along with another special something he slipped into his pocket.

Opening the large window and releasing the Rheaird from the capsule, he watched as it grew and expanded. The silvery aerial vessel shaped like a mechanical bird with green decals painted along the sides and wings soon hovered in air at the sill of his window, spitting out rainbow-like puffs of pure mana.

"Yo, Sebastian! I'll be back later!" Zelos shouted not really caring if his butler had heard him. Hopping aboard his Rheaird, he started it up and began the flight to his destination of the village of Mizuho with a clear objective in his mind.

Arriving at the small rural village couple of hours later, the former Chosen touched down and returned the Rheaird to its storage inside of the wingpack. He walked a short distance to the entrance and nodded to the two ninjas standing guard. They nodded back and allowed him inside.

He made his way in and immediately began scanning the area for Sheena.

A young black haired mizuhoan girl of no more than five, dressed in a cute pink kimono, approached Zelos and tugged on his pant leg. He looked down at the little girl and followed her finger as she pointed towards the fields of the village. Sure enough, standing several feet down river collecting water was the soon-to-be Chief of Mizuho.

He smiled at the small girl and ruffled her hair, causing her to blush. She skipped off happily to wherever she was going at the moment and he did the same.

Sheena stood hunched over in a plain brown and white work kimono with short sleeves, and a small rope belt tied around her waist. Her hair was tied in a bun, which looked like it was about to fall out. Her feet were dirty and bare; her hands and face were in no better shape. A device with two wooden buckets attached to the ends of a large wooden pole sat on the ground nearby, filled to the brim with clean water. She sighed with exhaustion, wiping her brow with her hand, straightening back up with a stretch. About to pick up the pole and buckets, she felt two strong arms slide around her waist and blushed.

"I've missed you..."

Sheena quickly turned around with surprise at the sound of a very familiar voice, and was soon looking upon a very familiar face and two familiar and beautiful sapphire orbs staring back into her dark brown eyes. She met his gaze and he quickly drew the summoner into a passionate kiss that deepened quickly. He mused with delight at this. She had finally learned his kind of kiss.

A bomb went off inside of the summoner sending shock waves of arousal throughout her body. Her feelings once again resurfaced and she continued to kiss Zelos, unaware of anything else at the moment.

But culture and customs were embedded into her, and she hesitantly broke away from him, glancing around to make sure nobody had spotted the duo.

"Zelos!" She said... A blush took over her face. He smiled, still locked around her small frame. "What if they--"

"I don't care."

"But they'll--"

"I don't care."

"But we'll--"

"I don't care."

The ex-Chosen drew closer to her ear and whispered something into it, taking a small ring from his pocket. He would not leave until she gave him the answer he wanted...

But he was fairly sure this wouldn't take long at all. He already knew what she felt for him, and he knew damn well what he felt for her. He could already feel the summoner's body warm up, the tears building in her eyes, the blush on her face growing more crimson by the minute.

Then that long pause happened. The one where Zelos knew that his favorite hunny was thinking about him. About their times as kids, their times together with Lloyd and the gang... and about their first date just a few years ago...

With a curtain of black hair hiding her eyes, her cherry red face and that beautiful smile forming on her lips, she nodded without a word spoken.

Yes.

The two locked in a tight embrace, eyes closed and heads resting against one another in a moment of bliss. Zelos had never been happier in his life and he began laughing, which caused her to laugh.

This laughter of realization subsided after a few moments and the two remained together in a comfortable, content silence.

Sure, there would be a bit of explaining to do, but somehow both warriors knew that Tiga and Igaguri would not deny them their happiness...

The redhead would be sure to give it all right back to the village. He'd do whatever it took to repay the current chief and vice chief for their blessings. And to his butler as well.

Oh yes... Sebastian was sure to get a nice raise once the swordsman returned to Meltokio.

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**A/N: Ahh... amore... And so wonderfully fluffy at the end there. n.n Anyway, that's it for this piece, everyone. Again, sorry this was so late... -.- This is your authoress WR saying: Until the next batch of Sheelos, I bid thee adieu... just kidding. (lol Zelos... I love the guy. XD)**


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